Falling asleep on the job
by KBRClover
Summary: When Castle finds Kate sick at the precinct he takes her home and cares for her. AU set around Season 4
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: decided it was time to start a new story, enjoy this first chapter, remember the more you review the faster I write. **

Kate stared at herself in the full length mirror, she found herself unable to recognise the reflection that stared back at her, her usual unblemished skin was red with flush that rose not only across her face but also along her neck and chest, her nose red from the constant sniffling and blowing that had kept her up to the early hours, and a pile of tissues to form in her waste bin, and was the main reason that the bags had formed under her eyes.

Kate began to search though her makeup bag, in the hope to find some light makeup that would cover the obvious signs of sickness, finding a tube of concealer, Kate covered her nose and under her eyes, reducing the appearance of sickness and making herself more recognisable to herself in the mirror. Pulling her hair into a ponytail, Kate studied her appearance, dressed in black slacks, a black long sleeve top and a black blazer. Deep down Kate knew they she should still be curled under a pile of blankets, wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants, but she would live to fight another day, it was just a cold she told herself.

That was when Kate began to rummage through her bathroom cabinet on the look out for some Tylenol, to sooth the pounding in her head and the nausea that had began to rise in her stomach, she searched with no such luck as all she found was a box of out dated antibiotics that she had been prescribed after her shooting the previous year.

Foregoing the search for medication, Kate stuffed a fresh tissue up her blazer sleeve, discarding the previously used tissue along with the others in her waste bin. Kate slipped on her navy Burberry coat, and Navy scarf and a pair of flats, not her traditional 4 inch killer heels which gave her the confidence and the stature to face the world, sensing that vertigo would set in later that day, leaving her unable to walk in her traditional killer heels.

Before heading out of her apartment, to her crown vic that was parked out front of her building the bitter winter air knocking the air out her lungs and causing her to erupt into a coughing fit, once it had subsided Kate rested her head on the steering wheel, clutching hard so that her knuckles turned white fighting the nausea before pulling out of her spade and onto the road, her destination the 12th precinct.

...

Castle arrived shortly after 9am, stepping out of the elevator, coffees in hand, Castle saw Esposito and Ryan hovering around Beckett's desk,whispering to each other, so that he was unable to make out what they were saying to each other but they seemed to be in the mist of an argument. It was only when Castle stepped further into the bullpen he was able to make out the sleeping figure of Beckett at her desk.

Her head resting on her cushioned arms, lose strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail, circling her face like an angels halo, that was when Castle noticed the flush that crept up her neck.

It was not the first time Castle had discovered Beckett asleep at her desk or on the break room couch during a long case, or when she was emotionally drained after the blowing up of her apartment only a short year into there partnership.

Castle turned to the boys for support, both of them replying with a finger to the lips ordering him to keep quiet but their eyes told him to take her home and care for her. Although she would never admit it Beckett was happy she had those three men in her life that would walk heaven or earth to care for her, they had become like brothers and it was Castles call whether he wanted to potentially risk the bodily harm if he was to wake her, would he be threatened to be shot, or would it be his ear that received the brunt of the damage, one of her favourite moves to keep in in line in the early days of their partnership.

Placing a hand on her forearm, Castle shook her gentle to stir her from her sleep,

"Beckett? Kate... Wake up come on I'm taking you home, you are obviously sick"

Her eyes snapping open and her head rising from her arms she responded

"No I'm fine, it's just a cold"

Castle placed the back of his hand to her forehead, feeling it burning up, it would obvious to him that she was coming down with a fever and the best place for her to be was in bed, resting.

"No detective, I won't take no for an answer, come on get your bag, your obviously coming down with a fever and you didn't do very well at trying to disguise the symptoms."

Slowly Kate stood up out of her chair, to avoid the vertigo setting in and the Nausea that was low in the pit of her stomach from rising again. Castle unhooked her coat from the coat stand, helping her to slip his arms into the coat, he thread her arms through his own, it was a sign that he was there for her and that he was going to look after her, but Kate was especially grateful because it allowed her to steady herself and walk out of the bullpen with her dignity in tact, despite falling asleep at her desk just minutes after her arrival.

Once outside the precinct, Kate willingly gave Castle the keys to her crown vic, on any other day she would be responsible for the driving, and would tell him that she was the cop and it was her job. Instead, Kate climbed in the passenger seat while Castle situated himself in the drivers seat, her head resting on the cold window.

Preparing herself for the journey home.


	2. Chapter 2

Pulling up outside Kate's building in her crown vic, cutting the engine Castle glanced over to see a sleeping Kate resting her forehead against the window, eyes clamped shut, letting out a soft snore every couple of breaths making her seem more adorable to Castle. A lose strand of hair had escaped from her ponytail and was swept across her face and Castle was unable to resist reaching out and tucking the strand behind her ear letting his hand linger over her cheek longer than would have been acceptable of she was not sick. It was common for Castle and Beckett to touch each other, wether it be a touch to the forearm or shoulder for reassurance or support during a challenging case or placing a hand at the small of her back to guide her out of the precinct, but never the cheek it was to be considered an intimate act.

Stepping out of the car without waking Kate, Castle opened the passenger door car cautiously to avoid a sleeping Kate stirring, placing his arms under her knees and back Castle lifted her into his arms, cradling her to his broad chest,resting her head in the crook of his neck.

Once outside Kate's apartment door, Castle fumbled through Kate's blazer pockets going in search of her keys, Kate stirred, slurring her words sleepily,

Feeling Castle rummaging through her pants pockets Kate sleepily spoke, "Castle, as ever trying to get in my pants"

"Always my dear detective, but today I'm just looking for your keys"

"Spares on the door frame"'Kate replied before snuggling further into Castles embrace, inhaling his familiar masculine scent which had the ability to settle the nausea that was settled low in her stomach.

Castle balances Kate on his knee, shifting the majority of her weight into his right arm, so that he could reach up to find the key that was on the top of the door frame. For a cop, she had no sense of security, it was the most obvious place to look for a spare key.

Kate's apartment was not necessarily tidy to anyone's standards, with her busy working hours, she often found herself without time to sleep let alone housework. The sink was stover flowing with dishes waiting to be washed up, a pile of laundry had formed in the corner of her lounge beside her couch and Castle had suspected that she had no real food in her fridge and was surviving on the Styrofoam temple that was formed in her fridge.

Castle continued on through her apartment bypassing the couch to carry Kate through to her bedroom, where Castle gently laid Kate on her bed, removing her coat and shoes as if she was a child being undressed by her parent. Under normal circumstances Kate would threaten Castle and cause him possible bodily harm if she found him snooping through her draws, but Castle knew that Kate would be more comfortable in yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt than her work clothes.

Finding an oversized t-shirt and a pair of worn yoga pants, Castle was careful to slip her black slacks down her legs, before pulling on the yoga pants. Castle had, had experience having to undress people carefully while they slept being the primary guardian of Alexis, who would often fall asleep waiting for him to finish a book signing.

Castle next unbuttoned Kate's blazer slipping it down her arms before lifting her t-shirt over her head, cautious that he was staring at Kate's unblemished tanned skin while she was dressed in nothing but a pair of yoga pants and a bra, he quickly pulled the oversized shirt over her head, covering her skin so that she was decent.

Before he lifted her back into his arms, carrying her round the bed, tucking her in under her comforter, placing a chaste kiss to her forehead sweeping her hair off of her forehead, her forehead burning up and her sweat causing her hair to stick to her forehead. Leaving her bedroom, Castle left the door ajar, before heading into her kitchen to grab her a glass of water, and switching on her coffee machine. Castle left the glass of water in her nightstand along with a couple of Tylenol tablets that he found in his coat pocket.

Before closing her bedroom curtains to block out any further light from drifting into bedroom, plummeting the bedroom into darkness. Castle grabbed a spare pillow from Kate's bed taking it back to her couch, Castle knew he would be in for a long day and night so he decided to grab some shut eye before Kate awoke again.

...

Castle awoke to what seemed like hours later to the sound of heaving coming from Kate's bathroom, glancing at his phone the digital clock read 12:30. Castle walked into Kate's bathroom to find her hunched over her toilet, heaving the contents of her stomach into her toilet, Castle crouched down next to her, gathering her hair in his hand while the other rubbed circles in her back soothing her.

"Castle, get out"

"No Kate I'm not leaving, it's me, only me let it out"

Once Kate was only dry heaving,she leant back against her bath, settling in next to Castle, he wrapped his arms round her holding her close, while she broke down in his arms, she hated being sick, but she hated it more because it made he remember her mom caring for her as a child where they would snuggle on the couch watching episodes of Temptation Lane.


	3. Chapter 3

Castle remained sitting against the bath with Kate still leaning into his side, her sobs quieting and her breaths beginning to even out, signalling that Kate was drifting to sleep, curled into his side. After spending the morning pretending that she was well, the wall that she built around herself after her mothers murder and the hard face she carried as Detective Beckett was beginning to crumble, all because of Richard Castle who was able to see through the act.

Feeling Kate snuggle further into his side, her legs curling so that her knees brushed Castles and her arm resting across his chest. Castle rest his head on the top of hers, burying his face in her hair, inhaling her familiar cherry scent, while trying to decide whether it was safe to move Kate to her bedroom or not. Castle carefully lifted and removes Kate's arms off his chest and placing it beside her, rising to his feet, he held Kate in place to avoid her falling onto her side. While he thread his hands under her knees and back, and carried her back into the master bedroom and laying Kate back in her bed.

As Castle gently laid Kate in bed, Kate gripped onto the front of his shirt and sleepily she mummered against her pillow, making her words almost incoherent.

"Castle...Stay" Kate croaked while her grip tightened on the collar of Castles shirt,

Castle awkwardly sat himself on the edge of Kate's bed beside her, running his hands up her arms, his fingers soothing her and sending her into a deep slumber.

"Castle, what are you doing? Come here" Kate patted the space on the bed beside her, lifting the comforter slightly, her silent way of telling Castle to crawl in the bed beside her.

Castle remained seated on the edge of Kate's bed, unsure of whether or not his life would be in danger once Kate recovered, would she shoot him for lying in her bed beside her and would she claim that Castle took advantage of her while she was at her weakest.

But little did Castle know that this was what Kate wanted, after her shooting and hearing Castle confess his love for her as she lay on the grass bleeding out, she was sure that she wanted this to. She wanted a relationship where someone would be there for her and she could be there for them and they could jump into the relationship together. She was sure that Castle was the once, after all Castle had witnessed her at her weakest, whether it be her being sick or when she was shot or the rare occasions where she allowed herself to breakdown in front of him, where he would place a reassuring hand on her arm. She would never have let any of her ex-boyfriends see her in this situation, not Josh, not Will and certainly not Demming, but she allowed Castle who was her partner.

Castle lifted the comforter , sitting himself in the edge of the bed his feet still placed firmly on the ground as he slid his shoes of and climbed in under the covers alongside Kate making sure there was significant distance between them as Kate slept soundly, because being allowed this close to her was a step in the right direction, they'd come so far already and he didn't want to screw that up.

Castle rested his head on the pillow and drifted off to sleep, beside the woman that had stolen his heart, the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, the one he'd opened his heart to, she was his everything.

Castle was awoken about an hour later by a shivering Kate who laid next to him, his fingers curling in the covers, pulling them up to her chin, trying to stop the chill that had settled in her bones, due to suffering from a cold.

"Kate, scoot closer, come on your obviously cold"

On a normal day, Kate would not have considered snuggling up against Castle in her bed, but today all she wanted, needed, was to stop the chill that was causing her to remember the dirty bomb case, where her and Castle had found themselves locked in a freezer, and it took time for her to remove the chill from her bones.

So Kate shifted closer to Castle, allowing her head to rest in his pillow, her face just mean inches from his own, his warm breath on the back of his neck. While her back was pushed against his chest, absorbing the heat that was radiating through his maroon dress shirt. Castle turned so that he was resting on his back, Kate's head resting on his chest, while his hands threaded in her hair, his heartbeat softly soothing her back to sleep.

There was nowhere that Castle would rather be than with Kate, caring for her like she deserved, like no man had done for her before. His only experience with sick people was when Alexis was sick and he would often find himself sitting outside her room during the night making sure that she was sleeping soundly. But for Kate he would do anything.


End file.
